App Of The Day: Metal Slug 3

If you played video games in the 90s, then you probably remember SNK’s Neo Geo. The console brought arcade-like graphics to the living room, and allowed gamers to experience the latest, greatest titles to the envy of just about everyone. The cartridges were also ridiculously expensive, and the system became the preserve of only the most hardcore and/or wealthy players.

Fortunately, most of us now walk around with a touchscreen in our pockets, powered by a device that would laugh in the face of such primitive technology. The arcade experience of the Neo Geo has been democratized, and Metal Slug 3 is just one SNK game to make the transition to iOS and Android.

Metal Slug 3 is ridiculous. As you head along the game's 2D platforms, you'll need to shoot people in the face with homing missiles and machine guns, uncage a monkey, who then runs around the screen firing an Uzi, vomit molten spew (should you turn into a zombie, of course), and destroy giant floating aliens that glide around the screen.

You can choose one of four characters and blast through the arcade mode, or if you prefer gaming in smaller chunks, complete missions one by one. Although there's no Wi-Fi or global multiplayer, you can also team-up with a friend over Bluetooth.

Because SNK has a lot of love for its creations, you can overlay scan-lines onto the screen for the ultimate old-school arcade experience. On top of that, you can watch your greatest firefights using the replay system, and there's some lovely original concept art in the gallery.

Unfortunately, the controls bring down the game’s value. The fire buttons are responsive, the jump button works fine, and you can even move them around the screen to create a custom layout. Unfortunately, the virtual joystick is imprecise, and you'll have more than a couple deaths as a result.

Still, if you crave over-the-top violence, some of the most imaginative 2D platform design of its time, and still crave Neo Geo games, you can now scratch the itch with Metal Slug 3. It may not be a perfect port, but you can do a lot worse for the money.

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